Filson: Over 120 Years of Rugged Quality

• Posted on 6 October 2022
• By Steve Bates
• 0

Filson is an outdoor goods company based out of Seattle, Washington. Filson was started in 1897 and is the leading manufacturer of apparel and goods for outdoor enthusiasts. Filson was built on a reputation for reliability and has long been considered the "gold standard" for high-quality and durable outdoor gear. 

Filson: Over 120 Years of Rugged Quality 

Filson is an outdoor goods company based out of Seattle, Washington. Filson was started in 1897 and is the leading manufacturer of apparel and goods for outdoor enthusiasts. Filson was built on a reputation for reliability and has long been considered the "gold standard" for high-quality and durable outdoor gear. 

History of Filson

Filson's founder, Clinton C. Filson, was born in 1850. He inherited his love for the outdoors and pioneer spirit from his father. In his younger years, he spent time traveling the country as a railroad conductor and homesteading in Nebraska. 

In the early 1890s, Filson moved to Kirkland, Washington, and opened a hardware store. He also served as the postmaster of the town for a while. Several years later, he decided to move to Seattle and operate a small loggers' outfitting store.

Filson's move to Seattle was a stroke of luck because the Great Klondike Gold Rush was in full swing by the late 1890s. Thousands of people in America were headed North hoping to find fortune. He seized an opportunity and founded C.C. Filson's Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers in 1897 to help meet the needs of those traveling through his city on their way to the Gold Rush.

Stampeders headed for the Klondike Gold Rush were faced with no easy feat. They would travel many miles and face extremely cold temperatures. Filson designed his goods for these rugged conditions. He owned his own mill where he manufactured Mackinaw Wool, and his shop supplied travelers with outdoor gear like blankets, clothing, shoes, and sleeping bags designed explicitly for the frigid North. 

Filson was known for his honesty and strong work ethic. He kept in close contact with his customers and they trusted him to hear their feedback. He constantly improved his goods to meet their needs. At this time, apparel was a matter of survival, and the stampeders headed North trusted and depended on Filson. In a 1914 Filson catalog, he said: 

"To our customers: if a man is going North, he should come to us for his outfit, because we have obtained our ideas of what is best to wear in that country from the experience of the man from the North - not merely one - but hundreds of them. Our materials are the very best obtainable, for we know that the best is none too good and that quality is of vital importance. You can depend absolutely upon our goods both as to material and are the very best obtainable, for we know that the best is none too good and that quality is of vital importance. You can depend absolutely upon our goods both as to material and workmanship."

After the Gold Rush ended, Filson kept listening and catering to his customers’ needs, and outdoorsmen continued to come to him for durable clothing. Filson shifted to providing gear for outdoor occupations and activities like logging, hunting, fishing, and camping. Filson became a widely trusted brand known for reliability, quality, and honest values. C. C. Filson guaranteed every piece of merchandise he sold, and when he didn't have an item that a customer needed, he would custom-make it for them. 

"The goods we quote must not be confounded with the cheap and vastly inferior grade with which the market is over-run. Such goods are not only useless for the purpose for which they are intended, but the person wearing them would be better off without them." 

- Clinton C. Filson, 1914 catalog

Ownership and Production

1919. C. Filson did not retire in his lifetime and worked until he passed away in 1919. After his passing, ownership of the company was handed over to his widow Winifred and nephew George Stroble.

By the 1960s, Filson had maintained its reputation for quality and reliability and had become a brand known across the globe. Filson was being stocked by major retailers and being ordered online from around the world.

The Filson family remained in control of the company until 1970, when they sold it to a former Filson distributor in Alaska. In 1981, skiwear entrepreneur Stan Kohls purchased it and expanded the line while staying authentic to Filson's original ideas and values. In 2005, Filson was purchased by a California-based private equity group, Brentwood Associates, and Kohls maintained a minority ownership interest with a seat on the board. 

In 2012, Filson was sold to Dallas-based Bedrock Manufacturing Co. for an undisclosed amount, and in June 2013, the company unveiled a new manufacturing facility. The facility is located in Seattle's manufacturing district, where Filson started. This facility created more than 100 new jobs in its production. 

Filson's current leadership made the decision to shift some manufacturing overseas to streamline business and be more efficient, but Filson still manufactures heritage styles in the USA at their Washington facilities. 

Quality to Last Generations

One thing has stayed the same through the years, and that is Filson's commitment to quality. C. C. Filson cared deeply about customer feedback. He worked to ensure Filson products were durable enough to last a lifetime. They were then, and they still are now. Today, over 120 years later, those same designs are still being sold. According to Filson, "Comfort, protection, and durability never go out of style.”